


Fit To Be Tied

by 27dragons



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 06:06:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13851657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27dragons/pseuds/27dragons
Summary: Bucky had a good chance of making a great impression at this interview... at least, up until some idiot bumped into him and spilled their latte all over his tie.





	Fit To Be Tied

**Author's Note:**

> This is utter ridiculousness that I mostly wrote while I was standing in line to get an ID renewed.

Bucky leaned on the bathroom counter and stared at himself in the mirror. “I could go top-button-open casual,” he suggested, and then immediately grimaced. “No. No, absolutely not.”

He thought some more. “Wash it in the sink and dry it with the hand dryers. But then how do I get it back on?”

His breathing was starting to get a little fast, but he pushed that observation to the back of his head. He didn’t have _time_ for a panic attack now; he had to figure out _what the hell to do_.

“I could call and try to reschedule,” he tried. “Make up some story about my bike or something.”

“No one’s gonna believe that in a city where there’s a subway station every three blocks,” said a voice from the far stall.

Bucky jumped half out of his skin. “ _Jesus_ Christ! I thought I was alone in here!”

“Sorry,” the guy said. “I was just going to kind of pretend not to be here until you left, but you’re taking a while and I have a meeting to get to, so. What’s your crisis?”

“I, uh. Have an interview,” Bucky said.

“Definitely don’t reschedule,” the guy advised. “I mean, you’re already _here_. What’s the issue?”

“My tie,” Bucky admitted. “I... My roommate helped me with it this morning before he went to work, but this guy bumped into me in the lobby and spilled his latte or something on it, and it missed my shirt, thank god, but now my tie looks like it’s got dried jizz on it.”

“Your roommate-- Definitely don’t admit that you don’t know how to tie a tie,” stall-guy said.

“I know _how_ ,” Bucky said, annoyed. “I just _can’t_. The occupational therapist says I can learn how to do it again one-handed, but it'll take more practice than I had time for. I got called for this interview _yesterday_.”

“...Shit, I put my foot in it there, didn’t I?” said stall-guy, sounding chagrined. “Okay, so the problem is a spotted tie. Washing it in the sink isn’t a bad idea if it’s not a dry-clean only tie.”

“I still can’t get it back on after,” Bucky pointed out.

“I’ll help, obviously,” the guy said. The toilet flushed, loud in the small space, and the door opened to reveal possibly the hottest guy Bucky had seen in months. He went to the sink and washed his hands, eyeing Bucky in the mirror. “Yeah, I take it back,” he said. “There’s no way we can wash that out.”

“I know,” Bucky groaned. He was doomed. There was no way he’d get the job if he showed up looking like he didn’t even care. Damn it, he _needed_ this job.

He looked at the hottie. “Don’t suppose you’d let me borrow your tie?” he tried. “You don’t really _need_ one, right? And I’ll bring it right back to you as soon as this interview is done.”

The guy looked him over slowly; if Bucky didn’t know better, he’d think the guy was checking him out. Bucky bit his lip. “Please?” he begged. “I can _do_ this job. The system they’re using is basically just a watered-down version of the one I was using in the Army; I can do this job with my eyes closed. But if I show up looking like this...”

“Okay,” the guy said. He tugged at his tie — silk, a conservative dark red but with a subtle texture that Bucky realized belatedly was a pattern of little Star Wars TIE fighters, a visual pun that perversely calmed the worst of Bucky’s panic and gave him a faint smile.

"That's good," said the hottie, "keep smiling like that, and take off your tie."

Bucky whipped off his own ruined tie, and the guy stepped close to loop his tie over Bucky’s head.

“Here, let me,” he said. He gently turned up Bucky’s collar, settled the tie, and snugged it up against Bucky’s throat.

Bucky hadn’t had anyone so close to him that wasn’t a medical professional in a year. Let alone anyone as attractive as this guy. He swallowed and willed himself not to pop a stiffie as the guy carefully folded Bucky’s collar back into place.

“There,” the guy said. He took a step back and looked at Bucky critically. “Yep, you look great. Knock ‘em dead, tiger.” He winked, and turned toward the door.

“Wait, how will I find you to give it back?”

The guy grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find you.”

***

“You can go right in, Mr. Barnes. Mr. Stark is waiting for you.” The secretary didn’t _say_ Bucky was already in trouble for being two minutes late, but that didn’t sound good, either.

Bucky nodded and thanked her, then took a deep breath and pushed through the office door. And stopped.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

_Of course_ Mr. Stark was the hottie from the bathroom. Because of course he was.

“Oh, hey!” Mr. Stark said cheerfully. “It’s the tie guy! Hi there, tie guy!” He was already wearing another tie, this one in smart black and gold. He was probably the sort of guy who kept a complete spare suit in his office for emergencies.

“Should I even come the rest of the way in?” Bucky asked. He tried to put a good face on it, but his stomach had already sunk somewhere down in the vicinity of his socks.

“Of course you should!” Mr. Stark said. “We have lots to talk about! Check it out, I found a youtube tutorial on how to tie a half-Windsor one-handed!” He spun one of his monitors around to show Bucky.

Bucky sighed and scrubbed at his face with his hand. “Look, Mr. Stark, I appreciate your help earlier, but--”

“Okay, okay, you probably already saw that one,” Mr. Stark said. “Call me Tony. Everyone does except my secretary. Come on, sit down, let’s talk.”

“About what?” Bucky asked. He tugged the tie’s knot loose and slipped it over his head, dropping it on Mr. St --Tony’s desk. “Thanks for the loan.”

“Oh, good,” Tony said. He opened a drawer and swept the tie into it, then loosened his replacement tie and unbuttoned the shirt collar. “So much for the formalities. Let’s get down to business.”

“What?”

“Come on, tell me what kind of salary you’re looking for.”

Bucky stared at him.

Tony grinned and leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him. “I’ll be honest; you were my top pick for the spot just based on your resume. What I’ve seen of you so far tells me you’re the man for the job.”

“You saw me flailing in panic and thinking about running for the hills,” Bucky pointed out, unwillingly.

“I saw you approaching a problem from a lot of different directions,” Tony corrected. “I saw you listening to advice, which is rare enough. I saw you admitting your limitations and making plans to move beyond them. And I saw you come up with an unorthodox but functional solution. Your resume says you’re smart. I think you’re also proud, stubborn, loyal to a fault, and quick on the draw. Am I wrong?” Tony barely paused. “I’m not wrong, I’m never wrong about these things.”

“You’re... not wrong,” Bucky admitted. “You got all that from one conversation in the men’s room?”

Tony grinned. “I’m just that good. So let’s talk salary and benefits. I know loyalty can’t be bought, but it can sure as hell be undersold, so I want you to start out feeling good about us. I think we’ll earn your loyalty once you’ve worked here a while.”

Bucky swallowed. “I’ve got the job?”

“You can do it with your eyes closed,” Tony reminded him. “Which means we’re also going to talk about an advancement path, because I can’t have you getting bored and taking all that talent off to be squandered by someone like HammerTech.”

“I’ve got the job,” Bucky whispered. “Oh, my god.”

Tony grinned, a bright, happy smile. “Oh, yes. Welcome to Stark Industries, Mr. Barnes. I think you’ll like it here.”

“Call me Bucky.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> One-handed tie tutorial [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0__7m0dNpM).


End file.
